1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to vendor push cart kiosks. The invention lies in changing its configuration to resemble that of a familiar object such that the umbrella portion and the base portion cooperate with each other to provide an overall impression of that of the familiar object.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Conventional vendor push cart kiosks for selling frozen products have not changed significantly in their configuration over the years. Their base is generally rectangular box-like, which may be stored in a compact manner. Each has a fold-up umbrella, whose pole extends upward from about the center of the base.
On the other hand, methods for repairing dents and other damage to automobile bodies are well known. Most repair techniques utilize a step straightening the dents as much as possible and then filling in the depressed areas with a xe2x80x9cbondoxe2x80x9d or other formable filler material, including plastic-containing and fiber-glass-containing materials. After the filler material is put in place over the damaged area, it is allowed to harden. The material is then ground and sanded to obtain a smooth surface which duplicates the original automobile body surface. The grinding and sanding process is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The additional time and labor greatly increases the cost of repairs since the filler material must be substantially hardened before it can be ground or sanded. In addition, sanding and grinding creates large amounts of dust, which requires cleaning and containment and poses health hazards to workers. The time and energy spent waiting for the filler material to dry and then reshaping the filler material after it has dried fully adds greatly to the expense and effort required to repair auto body damage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,321, whose contents are incorporated herein by reference, proposes the use a shaping and smoothing tool to reduce the amount of sanding required by using the tool instead prior to full hardening.
It would be desirable to render the conventional vendor push carts for selling frozen products more eye catching and thus more likely to attract crowds and thereby potential customers.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a vendor push cart kiosk having a configuration of a familiar object. It may include base, an umbrella extending from the base, wheels attached to the base, handles attached to the base to permit manual pushing against the handles to roll the base along a ground with the wheels. The base has interior compartments containing vendor products such as frozen ices, a cold source such a dry ice to keep the interior compartments cold and thus keep the vendor products cold, and lids that open to provide access to the vendor products within the interior compartments and that close. The interior compartments, including the lid, are insulated.
The base and the umbrella are shaped to complement with each other to resemble the configuration of a familiar object, such as an apple or a baseball.